Greenhouses gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and ozone, are present in exhaust streams that result from combustion operations. The release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere has become the subject of increasing concern, and may be regulated in the future. It is possible that taxes may be imposed on industrial processes based on the amount of greenhouse gas emitted.
One option to prevent the emission of greenhouse gases is to isolate the greenhouse gas and transport it to a subterranean location where it can be sequestered. As an alternative to sequestration, there are other uses for greenhouse gases, such as cooling, work or power generation, that are preferable to simply releasing the greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.
In order to either sequester, or make beneficial use of, the greenhouse gas present in an exhaust gas, it must be separated from the greenhouse gas and sufficiently pressurized for transport. Accordingly, there is a need for efficient means to isolate a greenhouse gas from an exhaust gas for transport.